LOS ANGELES – Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier made their big- league debuts together for the Dodgers in 2006, Kemp the outgoing, personable former high school basketball player and Ethier the quiet outfielder with the determined demeanor.

Friday, Kemp and Ethier put on a show against the visiting San Francisco Giants, pummeling Giants starter Todd Wellemeyer over the first two innings to lead the Dodgers to a 10-8 victory in front of 49,319 at Dodger Stadium.

Kemp had a two-run home run and Ethier had a solo home run and a grand slam off Wellemeyer, who left the game in the fifth inning after surrendering seven runs on six hits, his ERA rising to 9.58 on the season.

Kemp and Ethier locker near each other in the Dodgers’ narrow clubhouse, and the way things are going, it might be a long time before that tandem gets broken up, what with the way the two budding stars have terrorized opposing pitchers through the first two weeks of the season.

For the Dodgers and their struggling pitching staff, the two- inning explosion provided some much-needed relief, a nice, big lead to work with and, for once, a relatively pressure-free night.

For a club that went into extra innings in its last two games, wearing out the bullpen in the process, it was a nice way to kick off the weekend, especially with the first- place Giants in town for a three-game series.

And it was two of their brightest young stars who kicked it all off.

Kemp wasted little time becoming the first player in club history to homer in the first four home games of the year, smashing the second pitch he saw from Wellemeyer over the right-center-field wall for a two-run home run.

It’s the second time Kemp has homered in four consecutive games in his young career.

Ethier, the hero the night before, followed with a solo home run to right field, the first time this year the Dodgers have hit back-to-back home runs. Just like that, the Dodgers led 3-0.

The good times kept rolling in the second inning, this time when Ethier smashed a grand slam to dead center field to put the Dodgers ahead 7-0.

Vicente Padilla had seven strikeouts and gave up three runs on four hits – including a solo home run to Pablo Sandoval in the sixth – through seven innings.

Vincent Bonsignore is an NFL columnist for the Southern California News Group. Having covered the Los Angeles sports scene for more than two decades, Bonsignore has emerged as one of the leading voices on the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL and NFL relocation.

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